Cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov, who encountered hair-raising problems on two of his three space missions for the Soviet Union, died Saturday of a heart attack, Russian media reported. He was 70.
Cosmonaut who went on 3 space missions dies

MOSCOW (AP) - Cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov, who encountered hair-raising problems on two of his three space missions for the Soviet Union, died Saturday of a heart attack, Russian media reported. He was 70.

Rukavishnikov’s first space voyage was in 1971 aboard the Soyuz 10, which was to have delivered the first humans to the orbiting Salyut-1 space station. The craft docked with the space station, but the crew were unable to gain access, reportedly due to a faulty hatch, and the mission was aborted, lasting less than two days.

In 1974, he made his next flight aboard the Soyuz 16, staying in space for nearly six days in a mission that was part of the U.S.-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

His last mission was Soyuz 33 in 1979, which turned into a white-knuckle space drama. The craft was to dock with the Salyut-6 station, but an engine failure left it unable to maneuver. The same engine was to have sent the spacecraft back to Earth.

Rukavishnikov was able to fire up a backup engine, which also didn’t work properly but was sufficient to return him and Bulgarian comrade Georgi Ivanov safely. The ITAR-Tass news agency said this was the first time a spacecraft had been landed under manual control.